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Saturday, June 27, 2009

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Michael Jackson died Thursday afternoon. Barely 24 hours later, Laura H. found these in her local bakery:

Yeesh. Ok, so it's America, and I get that we tend to capitalize on tragedy - I mean, have you seen "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here"? - but this seems to be pushing the bounds of good taste, don't you think?

And on top of the whole "let's eat the face of the deceased" thing, they went and made it worse by making themCCCs. [ptoooiee!]

Ah, the perils of putting a group photo on a memorial cake...

Plus, logistically this begs a question: how exactly do you separate the cupcakes in a CCC when there's a large edible image on them? From my experience, that paper is pretty thick.

Two words: dash placement.

Still, I suppose the question of how you eat it is secondary to "who thought this was a good idea?" Even if the wreckerator's motives were pure, couldn't s/he have put a little more effort into them? I mean, these things give ugly a run for its money.

And finally, I know I'm opening Pandora's box here, but what do you guys think about eating a decorated cake to commemorate someone's death? Seems to me there's a reason most funerals have pie: cake symbolically represents celebration. Granted, we should celebrate someone's life in their memory, but you certainly don't want to be seen as celebrating that the person died.

So again, what do you think? Are these cakes some morbid capitalistic ploy, or simply a sweet gesture?

I think it really depends on who it is. I would be concerned if someone close to the tragidy ordered a cake like that, however MJ was a very big star. He had thousands of fans. People who aren't close to him but love him in a different manner. If these kind of people want to stuff their faces full of badly decorated ccc and sit and watch old music video's and remember the 80's I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Of the too soon questions dealing with his death I think there'd be other things to look at a little worse than cake. (Like the custody battle that started hours after his death I mean give the kids some time you know.)

The answer to the question posed is likely: a little bit of both. I'm not yet such a hard-boiled cynic that I see dastardly (god, I love that word) capitalist motives in everything, so I'm willing to believe that some of these cakes were made in a legitimately commemorative spirit, albeit poorly. There are a lot of people who are heartbroken right now, so the benefit of the doubt comes into play in my assessment of these cakes. Is it possible that they were made because someone *knows* that the public will scarf up anything Jackson related (do I have to remind all of you what happened after Princess Diana died...let's hope this doesn't result in the creation of a "Thriller" Beanie Baby tm)? Why certainly...but my gut is telling me to err on the side of common humanity...and not to eat any of these cakes.

i think what i find the most morbid with these particular cakes is that not only are you eating a cake memorializing him, but the cake has HIM on it. so...basically, you're eating a dead man. and immediately i think of corpse. maybe that's just me, but i don't find that leads to appetizing "MMM CAKE!" thoughts...

and about HOW to eat CCC's. i've been wondering that for a while...with frosting an inch thick, you'd think it'd be a bit difficult.

I don't mind eating cake to celebrate someone's life, but IMO it should be a personal thing. Like 'we will always love you, grandma' or something like that. But the whole go to the local grocery store to pick up eggs, milk, bread and, oh yeah, the king of pop is dead lets eat his face...um, no. And the CCC think...one, two, three all tear off a piece of the RIP cake. Wrong. Just wrong.

Since I cannot in a million years think anoyone would ever specifically ask for an MJ memorial cake, to create them and put them in the case can only represent a desire to profit from tragedy, which is the lowest form of moneygrubbing.

The only counter to this is if the bakery is legitimately responding to a need- meaning, SOMEONE at some point actually requested an MJ memorial cake and therefore they figured someone else might want one too. But I cannot fathom that, so I can only revile them for it.

Wow, that was fast. Not surprising though, considering the local music store sold out of all thing MJ mere HOURS after his death was announced.

I think its weird. I'm not a fan of eating pictures of people in the first place, so eating pictures of dead people just seems wrong.

Someone asked me to make a MJ memorial cake, and I said no. To me it seems like just another excuse for people to eat cake, and not a very nice one.

I COULD understand having some kind of celebration of life thing at some point with cake, on some sort of anniversary or his birthday or something, but right after he dies? It just seems wrong to me. Of course, he was an unusual guy, so maybe he wouldn't care so much.

I think morbid capitalist ploy because when I imagine a devoted fan attempting to eat one of these things, all I can see is some poor soul crying all over her plate as she attempts to eat the cheek, hand, hair or whole face of someone she's mourning. All I can say about these particular wreckorators is that all their taste is in their mouth (and even there, in short supply).

If you care about a comparison of cultures, I live in Argentina, South America, and this website always surprises me (apart from making me laugh) because you are so weird, hahaha. No, I mean, we hardly ever buy/make cakes, I'd say only for birthdays, weddings and those kind of days. Plus, they usually aren't decorated. But you guys bake or buy cakes for EVERYTHING, which is great, mostly, because you get to eat cake.

Heck, if I saw this at a bakery, I'd leave and boycott. The man was a pedophile, people seem to forget that fact now that he's died. Why would anybody in their right mind celebrate a pedophile?

As for how to separate a CCC...grasp the cupcake by the paper and pull straight up. You may need to slightly tilt the CC toward you to break the icing, but if you pick it up and pull it toward you, you'll lose your icing (which sometimes is not a bad thing)

Being seen to be celebrating someone's death with cake and actually celebrating a person's death with cake are two very different things indeed. I certainly wouldn't wish to be caught, but I wouldn't rule out being so delighted at certain people snuffing it that I'd want to enhance the experience with the consumption of tasty cake (which none of these are, clearly).

As for memorialising a person with cake - no. If the best you can do is cake, then I think that it is a case that doing nothing at all is the superior option.

Hmmm, your mention of pie at funerals is interesting, and very true. Cake definitely holds a celebratory feeling in America, and this set of Cake Wrecks is such a sad sight. I'm sorry, but I would never buy a cake commemorating the death of a celebrity, period.

Yes, it's creepy, but there's historical precedent for almost every creepy thing you can think of. There was a (Welsh? Scottish?) quasi-religious tradition--abandoned long ago, probably--of setting a meal on the displayed corpse of a loved one; and a person was hired to eat this meal as a symbolic way of cleansing the deceased of her/his presumably unconfessed sins. Wow. I'll refrain from making judgmental comments about applications to this...case.

There was even an episode of ROD SERLING'S NIGHT GALLERY (featuring Richard "John Boy" Thomas) featuring this more-or-less sickening practice.

My dad died May 21 at about 2.30 in the afternoon. I live out of town and by the time I got home, around 11pm, there were already two cakes, boxes of cookies, and a pie at my Mom's house. Over the next few days, we got three MORE cakes (all but one was Dad's favorite, german chocolate). It was strange, because cake always feels like a celebration food to us, too, but we decided that we weren't going to have a memorial service, we had a life celebration and told jokes and laughed and remembered him as he was and didn't dwell on what he wouldn't be there for. So, I think that cake can be for a funeral, but I agree with everyone else: NOT with a picture of the deceased on it. I think its weird to have a cake with a photo of someone's face period. The icing outlines aren't so bad, but the photo transfer is just creepy and so so wrong.

My dad died May 21 at about 2.30pm and by the time I got home (I live out of town) around 11pm, there were 2 cakes, 2 pies, and several boxes of cookies. We got several more boxes of cookies, 3 more cakes, and a various assortment of sweets over the next few days. Of the five cakes, 4 were German chocolate (Dad's favorite) and only one cake was homemade. So, since we had decided to do a life celebration instead of a memorial, focusing on what he'd been there for instead of what he wouldn't, laughing and telling jokes, cake was appropriate for us. When it comes to pictures of the deceased, that's just hella creepy. It was hard enough seeing Dad's favorite cake there without him to enjoy it, I can't imagine trying to eat it with his face on it. Ew. The icing outlines aren't as creepy, but still. Please don't eat someone's face.

I made a decorated cake this year to commemorate the Ides of March. I may have gone a little overboard by sticking "bloody" knives into it, but everyone loved it. And at 2053 years, I don't think it was really "too soon."

I have seen cakes at funeral, though they're usually blank, with little frosting ruffles on the edges, and maybe carrots if it was a carrot cake.... hey maybe if there was an infant funeral one time... that Might explain a certain cake, especially if that infant had strong nihilistic tendencies. As to MJ Cakes, I'm not that surprised to see MJ wrecks on here, I am surprised that those cakes are all new! Or have they just been expecting him to die so long and storing them in deep freeze?

Tacky, tacky and even more tacky. This country is all about capitalizing on ANYTHING! It's disgusting how everyone just wants to make a buck and will do anything to sell stuff. I am not an MJ fan, I think he is/was quite tacky too, however, I don't think that we need to exploit everything that comes down the pike. A clear and defined line needs to be drawn somewhere.

It's not inappropriate. Jackson's body of work is not exactly conducive to a somber atmosphere. It's all right if people remember him in ways that seem strange. He was dedicated to making people dance and have fun.

@donna: The guy was never convicted of anything. And his accusers were always very shady characters. I think you calling him a "pedophile"(and I'm no fan of them, believe me) is uglier than any of these cakewrecks!

Here's my take on the cakes above - I think they're fine that they were made so quickly -- except that they were not decorated WELL at all. But the idea behind them is fine.

Take a look at this Flickr Blog post: http://blog.flickr.net/en/2009/06/26/get-on-the-floor-and-dance/

Fans immediately were getting out and celebrating MJ's career/life by gathering and dancing and having a party. The post here in Cake Wrecks previous to this one even mentioned how people were having parties. So to have a cake with the photo of MJ on it, why not? To say you're eating his face (etc) is silly, c'mon people. It's a photo.

As for having it at a funeral or a wake or even a "celebration of life" event for a loved one - it would really depend on the sensitivity of the family I suppose. My family has been through several really rough deaths and I know that at each one they would have loved to have seen a cake with a photo on it and wouldn't be squeamish at all over it.

The bottom line is that it's just cake, decorated to look like someone or with a nifty edible photo on it. It's not the person - don't put so much into it.

I'm thinking more about the copyright issues with using those images. Also, if the edible image is on a buttercream frosting, it will be absorbed into the frosting. If you are using whipped frosting, it stays thick and nasty.

Ooh, feisty topic! I won't speak to these particular cakes (I find the whole celebrity culture in general appalling) but I could see a cake being appropriate in a celebration of life type funeral. I know I would personally love for my loved ones to remember me by getting drunk, eating a cake (preferably without my face on it) and telling stories!

I wasn't aware that pie is usually served in place of cake at funerals. I find myself struggling to remember whether there was cake at my grandfather's funeral 17 years ago. I have the vague impression that there was some kind of cake, but at the time I wasn't eating ANY sweets, so I can't say with any accuracy what kind of dessert there was.

As a decorator, I think it IS possible to do tasteful cakes for funerals/memorial services- but that said, I NEVER have thought that putting a photo of the deceased ON the cake was in good taste. People ask for it, still, and we do it- but it really seems tacky to me to cut into the dead guy's face. Or bite into it. And what else are you gonna do with it?

As to the question of whether cakes are funeral/mourning-appropriate, it honestly depends on the cake. I've seen sheet cakes at funerals before; they weren't decorated at all though, simply the frosting color and minimal flourishes/piping. Layer cakes and pound cakes, however, are usual fine, at least in my experience.

Something as extravagant as a printed image cake has been done before as well, but it was done by the family as a request of the deceased. Creepy, yes, but if the family has no concern with it, the best I can do is feel rather uncomfortable about taking a slice of tie.

I'm not willing to attribute this to "the man" trying to get our buck just yet. With the event so fresh still, I'd imagine that people are still reacting incredibly compulsively as a result. If two months from now there are P.Y.T. CCCs still lurking around, I will most likely think otherwise.

AS the finder of this wreck, I thought it was GROSS. I am in no way at all a MJ fan, but c'mon! Cake to commemorate a death? Gross. But I still feel the misguided bakery staff had pure intentions, just with misguided results.

I suppose it's slightly better than eating the face of a LIVE person. I understand the whole "he was my idol" thing, but the thought of eating anything with my idol's face on it, well, just EW! There are less stomach-churning ways to honor his memory.

It does seem very soon, and having pictures on a memorial cake is just creepy! You should check out Glastonbury Festival (in the UK), there were stalls selling "I was at Glasto when Jacko died" before the day was even out!

Michael Jackson or not, I kind of have a thing about eating the image of someone's face. That's just wrong. And a cake commemorating his death? I'm with you on that - weird!

And one more thing: judging by the looks of some of these cakes, I still can't wrap my head around WHY some of these decorators still have jobs. That's the scary part. That someone would actually pay money for these things is beyond me. Obviously someone does, though, because this blog is still getting regular fodder for our enjoyment! Keep it up! :D

The question I have is 'why CAKE'? I don't see any Farrah Cakes out there...or Ed McMahon cakes (ok, that would just REALLY be ewwwww)...but seriously? Someone thought a CAKE with MJ's image on it was a cool idea? weird....but then the whole thing is weird..his life..his actions..why NOT cake at this point I guess....sigh

I don't have a problem with people celebrating his life and using a cake to commemorate if they so desire. The only one I find weird is the one with the pic of the Jackson 5. It isn't like every member of the group just died.

A recent memorial meal at our church included cake...pre-cut and served...no message, but listed as birthday cake since her birthdate had been two days before her death. The family was honoring a full 80+ years of life, despite limitations caused by a stroke at age 39. I thought it was a great way to include her church family as well. I've also been in Native American circles where cakes were expected to honor the memory of the deceased and the meal wouldn't have been complete without 2 or 3 large decorated cakes.My 2 cents...BTW, many in my family enjoy seeing your choices of cakes and pithy comments...keep it up!

While I am sure there were some wreckers who did this was good intentions I have to say I would bet money played a role in most. I've never been a fan of putting a human (or animal) picture onto an cake and eating it because personally it is disturbing (especially when you slice it) but to each their own. If a consumer feels closer to MJ by doing this than it is what they need to go to grieve. I just think that with ALL the pics of him that the internet hold that they could have picked SOMETHING better.. especially then the one with all the Jackson 5. Cupcakes...again a no no unless you actually put a picture on each one.

I went to a funeral for an uncle of my (at that time) girlfriend's and there was red velvet cake served afterward because it was so associated with her uncle that it would have been missed. Apparently he adored red velvet cake and was very disappointed if a family gathering of any sort did not include it. To me, this is a great use of cake at a funeral.

That said, food at funerals is for comfort and because grieving is such hard work. Cake, you have to admit, is a very comforting food.

I've never been to a funeral, only a few memorials. I have no idea what food is normal. Personally, I wouldn't want to eat the piece with the deceased's face, or the sadly placed dash. That would creep me right out. However, there are many ways to honor a person's life without celebrating the fact they are dead. My mother has requested that we all wear fuschia to her funeral and have a party afterward. It may be unconventional, but so was my mother. It will honor her much more than black attire and somber attitude may be traditional.

I knew, I KNEW that you were going to have cakes about Michael Jackson. I just, I could feel it in my bones, when I found out he was dead. It was one of those first thoughts... maybe Paul McCartney can buy his songs back... maybe people will forgive him of the child molestation fiasco and for putting his kid over the railing... there will be cakes on Cake Wrecks, I know it.Oh I love it when I am right.

humor me for a moment but you wouldn't see faces of African children starving to death on a cake... so why is it okay to put the face of a dead man on a cake to "honor" him? Paint a picture, buy a t-shirt... write a song... dont make something you have to stab with a knife...

I'd just like to hear the conversation that went on in the kitchen of the bakery from the manager to the bakers.

"Okay now, we all now that Michael Jackson has died and that's sad and all, but hey, it's an opportunity, let's grab it while we can. You, make the cakes and cupcakes. We HAVE to have cupcake cakes. They're so cool. And you over there, you find some cool pictures and run 'em through that edible picture maker thingy. And you, you do the writing. C'mon people, let's get busy and make some money here! All the Michael Jackson fans will be out looking for cakes soon to have at their um...well just get busy!"

My thoughts . . . it is insensitive of anyone to question the style of grieving of others, and to exhibit disgust over grieved fans eating the picture of MJ . . . really?

More than exposing bakeries for capitalizing on loss (something that funeral parlors most assuredly do, and I'm not sure why a cake would seem worse to people than overpriced boxes and burial plots), this blog has exposed the narrow mindedness of people unwilling to accept that grief is not a one size fits all.

Unrelated, but I just wanted to mention: I've noticed you use the phrase "begs the question" a few times on the site when you mean to say "raises the question."

Please don't think I'm a language snob or a grammatical prescriptivist when I point that out, but a lot of people don't know that "begging the question" doesn't simply mean to raise a question -- it's actually a technical philosophical term for a logical fallacy in which an argument is meant to be true with no proof other than the argument itself. (Like saying: "I'm popular -- you can ask all my friends!" or "She's beautiful because she's so good-looking.")

It's a small quirk of language, but I think it's a linguistic distinction worth preserving! For more information about "begging the question," check out: http://begthequestion.info/

Considering how much of an impact he had on music, I can totally see people having funeral parties or wakes to observe his death. I don't find that weird.

I do find any cake with a person's photo on it bizarre, living or dead. Icing portraits done well are fine, but actual photographs are just plain creepy.

I don't do funerals, myself, as I find them morbid in and of themselves, and prefer wakes. One friend's wake included many of us sitting around a bucket of ice cream armed with spoons and a bottle of magic shell.

@ John (hubby of Jen):Racially insensitive, and downright racist, without a doubt. I seem to recall the pictures of past birthday cakes with Jackson on them were not all going to little black kids. The man affected, and inspired, a whole generation, not just some arbitrary portion of it.

I once saw on a baking community someone asking which were the most appropriate cupcakes to make for a friend whose sister had just been found murdered. How about none?!?!

I think a memorial cake could be appropriate in some circumstances, probably when the person who died was a big baking fan and you want to remember their little quirks, I guess in the same way you might have their favourite drinks or listen to their favourite music.

I'm sure some of these cake were made with good intentions but they are totally tacky.

American infatuation with celebrity and the tragedies that befall our celebrities is way too over the top. Cakes, tattoos, tribute album sales on iTunes, and all other forms of merchandising are all capitalistic moves for a piece of the pie (or cake?). Furthermore, there are many ordinary people who have done more good in this world than some recently deceased celebrities and have died without fanfare. That is what the real shame is.

I don't know. I think being heartbroken over the death of Michael Jackson is more bizarre than any cake. The tears I've shed have been those of relief and joy that he'll never hurt another child again.

Yeah, there really is nothing UN-weird about eating the face of a dead celebrity (or anyone else, for that matter). And, I certainly don't mean anything bad by this, because I was a huge Michael Jackson fan (loved him!), but, as odd as he was (hey, he WAS....) this sort of thing might have been right up his alley! ;)

I enjoy this site simply to marvel at the hideous and be astounded by the amazing. Certainly not to analyze the problems of the world or decipher the inner workings of the human mind.

When I read some of the indignant comments and idealistic statements about how the world should operate, I am reminded how much easier it is to simply put on a pair of slippers than to carpet the entire planet.

Yes, it's a nice sentiment. But, on the other hand, it totally doesn't make sense to use a celebratory sweet to commemorate someone's death. (Although, in my book, all sweets are celebratory! :) ) And finally, contrary to what I just wrote, if everyone marked my death by eating cake, I would LOVE it! I would not, however, like it if those cakes were actually CCC's and were covered with 3/4 inch of frosting and a nasty edible image.

Capitalistic! (But not surprising!)And I wonder... do the cake makers have the rights to the images?? My neighbors could not make a grad cake with the grad's image because the image was copyrighted by the school photographer!!

Is the cake/pie thing at funerals a regional thing in the US? I grew up in the South, and my dad died July 2nd. I remember getting a ton of cakes - mostly Texas Sheetcakes (we renamed them after the 4th one, because they're delicious only in moderation) and a fully decorated 4th of July cake.

Maybe i was just in too much of a haze to get weirded out by the whole bringing cake over thing, mostly i was just touched at virtual strangers from my church who went out of their way to bring us food and companionship.

I think that as Americans we get way to involved with a celebrities life. I as a fan of Michael am sad that we won't see his vibrant concerts, or anymore records come out. And I feel especially bad for his family-- as I would for any family who goes through something like this. I just don't know anyone who throughs a " We will miss you Michael" funeral other than his family-- honestly who goes to the groccery store and picks up a RIP MJ cake for dessert?

As for the Elvis cake and the food network challenge-- that I think is different, it was to celebrate his music and such after 30 years of him passing. And I'm sure that it'll happen for MJ.

I think it is about capitalism (everything is) and some good intent. Michael Jackson's name and image were on everything during the 80's, because his millions of fans bought the stuff. The fans are happy, the capitalist are happy.

wv- herserm - what a cake decorated with a deceased pic is transported in.

Instead of having a cake with a dead loved one's face on it, I could see doing a cake that the person loved. You can celebrate life through art via the form of cake decorating, but come on - I think eating ANYone's face on a cake is creepy!

Well...I mean I know he was a big celeb and people are saying things like "he defined pop music," "greatest musician ever," "the Elvis of our generation..." but I don't see any Farrah cakes (thank God) or if we're commemorating (celebrating) the death of famous people--where was the Bernie Mac cake? The Ronald Reagan cake? If the argument is that he was so loved by the people...did anyone eat a cake with a picture of Pope John Paul? He was pretty loved by a large group of people. I don't know I think it's weird--and do you buy the cake to eat alone or is this a shared event with your family? Do you give it to someone for their birthday? Odd.

I think this is a little too weird. I would not want to be remembered by people eating my face on a cake and it doesn't seem right that people are profiting off of his death. Obviously flower shops and those types will but bakers? Come on!

Yeah, so when I heard MJ died, the thought NEVER crossed my mind to get a cake. Ever. I was thinking about the child molestation cases, the parents who set them up and the kids who will never get closure!

If someone specifically orders a cake like this, then the bakery should proceed. However, these look like cake they made hoping someone would walk by and say "hey, yeah. I guess I do need an MJ cake today" which is just weird.

In the south when someone dies, you send food, including cakes ( without the photo of the dearly departed on them) to the family home so the family can gather, make arrangements for the funeral etc. and grieve without the added burden of making meals for everyone.

I am upset about Anons attacks on Jen and her Hubs...come on people...lighten up !

Michael Jackson was all about inclusion not division...playing judge with a throw of the race card is not fair ( especially to those of us who don't know the ins and outs of every cultural group on the block ) or very attractive either.

Sign your name and own your negative comments !

Sorry Jen & John for my little rant...if you don't want to post this, it's fine with me... I just had to vent !

I'm not a fan of photo cakes anyway. It's not just the "eating someone's image" thing -- which does weird me out -- but those kinds of cakes seldom taste good, and (IMO) aren't very creative. If you love the picture that much, frame it and put it next to a cake that looks and tastes like something someone would want to eat.

I grew up in the south, and while pies definitely outnumbered cakes as after-funeral gatherings, I do remember a few cakes -- but not a single one with any writing or a face on it. Usually any decorations were minimal - a simple border, a lily, etc. I remember one very pretty one that was decorated to look like a basket of daisies, which was the deceased person's favorite flower.

(And I hate to say it, but I have seen many a cake given away by the family to someone with a "Please, take this home. We're not in the mood for cake.")

We have always had cake at funerals in my family. Usually a sheet cake decorated with a few flowers. Sometimes the church ladies will bring pies, but the cake is so much easier to feed a group of people with.

Taking one of those types of cakes to an event for people that were actually personally closely associated with Micheal Jackson (like his family and real friends) would be in very poor taste. However I don't think they were meant to be used to for funeral type events like that. I think that the stores probably intended for them to be used in gatherings by fans.

I could see those style cakes being okay for bringing to a fan gathering and I know several people who've had small ones in the last couple of days. They just got a few friends together and listened to Jackson's music and watched his videos and shared their Jackson related memories and had a good time and celebrated Micheal Jackson's contributions to music and culture.

However, those wrecks were so poorly executed that I can't think of any place at all where those particular cakes would be welcome. If you're really trying to have a moving tribute or even a fun but loving and respectful celebration of the departed's life, I would think you'd want something more beautiful and tasteful and carefully made than those.

I'm fine with cake at funerals (or whatever). However, I don't see why "cake at funeral" HAS to equal "cake with edible picture of the person who died". There are so many other ways to decorate a cake in tribute to someone. What about including things they liked to do or places they really enjoyed. Just because edible images exist doesn't mean they have to be used. Especially when in memory of someone who died.

As far as the grocery store cakes for MJ, they could simply write on the cakes. Or piped the glove in the background and added some edible glitter. So many better options. Anybody who doesn't get that a more subtle design is in tribute to MJ's death probably isn't going to buy any MJ tribute cake anyway. Think about your audience Wreckerators!

Who walks along and sees those cakes and thinks "I want to buy these and eat them."? I don't really think it's a bad idea to eat a cake with a dead person's face on it as long as you don't smile when you hold the cake and think "ahahahaha I get to cut you and you can't stop me!" I just think the idea is bizarre... kinda capitalistic if a store does it without it being a custom cake but yeah. It could be worse... I don't know how it could be but there's bound to be something worse...

I'm in between. In the first place, it's a bit frightening to get a cake. Are people calling all their friends up for a nice 'MJ-is-dead' is party? Really? IF you really wanted cake to memorialize him, though, I think it would be more appropiate to buy something WITHOUT a photo. That's just creepy*.

The dash placement can't be an accident. We have a cake decorator out there with a twisted sense of humor, because that's too... strategically placed to be an accident.

Augh! Tacky, tacky, tacky. I'd hardly call myself a fan of MJ, but this makes me kind of sad. For him, for his family, and mostly, I think, for humanity. Who the heck goes "Hmm, someone famous died, let's make a cake of it!" I could fill an entire page with the word 'tacky' repeating over and over and it still wouldn't convey how this makes me feel.

a lot of the ones who made or ordered made these silly things were probably trying to do something nice in their startled grief.

i'm only semi-surprised @how much this is like when elvis died. speaking of michael jackson, my parents let me go live w/ my exhusband when i was fifteen--it was only a couple of years after elvis' death & there were ZILLIONS of peculiar products w/ elvis on them. i still have some post-mortem elvis bubble gum. & we ordered a rug off late night tv. it was supposed to be handpainted but, you know, it wasnt.

Okay. Let me see if I got it right. The only proper use of the term "begs the question" would be something like the next exchange:

"That watch is really expensive because it costs so much money!""Well that begs the question, doesn't it?"

Correct?

First off, nobody would ever say that. They might call you stupid or say you're using faulty logic but they wouldn't use that phrase because it doesn't mean that anymore. It sounds condescending and haughty.

So here we have a phrase that has made it's way into common usage, even among well educated folks, and it's come to mean something else. Does that mean that the way Jen used it is wrong? Well yes and no.

"Rule of thumb" doesn't have anything to do with beating your wife or measuring crops in a field but we still use it because it means something else now.

The rainbow, which used to be thought of as a promise from God not to flood the world again now means, to most Americans, that anybody associated with it is gay.

My point is, evolution in language, symbolism and culture is real and (mostly) helpful in the progress of society. Maybe the whole "Begs the question" debate should remain the practical joke it started out as.

Your masterpiece (and the rave reviews it is earning here) clearly 'begs the question': How are you planning to top this? You are uniquely poised to elevate this from mere bad taste to a travesty - please don't let us down.

Well, I agree this is in bad taste. But also wanted to say that at least in the south cakes are often brought to the family. Of course along with fried chicken and chicken salad sandwiches. Never would the cake say anything or heaven forbid have a picture of the deceased.

I can only assume you are talking to me with this comment so allow me to make a few observations of my own.

The question in this post was one of whether people feel this type of cake is appropriate or tasteless. We allow open dialogue on Cake Wrecks and firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion (minus the bad words of course).

Your statement, if I am understanding it correctly, was that if someone felt this cake was in bad taste, they should introduce themselves to their black neighbors. This totally baffled me since your statement presumed that all black people would appreciate a cake with MJ on it. This is called Hasty Generalization.

I don't think that you are "racist" but I think that most people would find this way of thinking to be prejudiced, or presuming something about a person based on race, religion, etc. This was also apparent in you statement:

"I would never put a memorial on the back window of my car, but most of the Latinos I know have one on theirs."

Do you see what I mean? I have many friends of many different ethnic persuasions and they all have their own way of viewing the world. Many would think the MJ cakes were tasteless. I tend to agree but that doesn't mean that I don't respect those who would enjoy such a thing.

I assume from your comment that you are young. As you get older, it would be in your best interest to take each person you meet out of the racial box you have prepared for them and treat them as unique, special individuals. And just remember that accepting that there are views that differ from yours is all part of being tolerant.

If someone posted this question on a Michael Jackson fan site then I think we would get a better representation of folks who would purchase. I would never ever buy a Michael Jackson tribute cake or any other tribute cake. I am one of the few people who didn't buy Thriller! My opinion is like myself most people who decorate cakes as a hobby are pretty conservative in their views.

I am from the Deep South and I've seen cakes given to the deceased's family. Usually a pound cake or a coconut cake- something fixed quickly.

Yeah. . . I think we've pretty much hit the deep end with this one. Seriously, I know it's the end of the month and all, bakeries are probably trying to figure out ways to snag that extra dollar simply to meet their quota. Minds are racing in the manager's office and suddenly, someone mentions that Michael Jackson has died and that his CDs and so forth are literally "selling like hot cakes." Ears perk up. "Did someone say cup cakes?" There you go folks. This is how poor ideas are made.

Personally, I can't stand edible transfers, they always taste like styrofoam to me... But anyway, yeah these cakes are too soon, and as someone else upthread mentioned, it could've been more tastefully done with just a glove and words or something. I was actually more appalled at the t-shirts that I saw on tv, less than 12 hours after he died - I saw news images of that night of people celebrating his life in the streets wearing 'In loving memory' shirts with his name and the dates underneath, as well as a picture of him.

As an Australian, I do think Americans go over the top with things like this (we'd wait a bit longer to do stuff like the t-shirts, I'd like to think, anyway lol - I'm sure no matter what country you live in, there'd always be someone out to make a quick buck) and I also don't understand about no cakes at funerals - we do have cakes, at the wake, at least. Every one I've been to has had cake bought to it, but not a specially decorated one, I guess. Is that what you guys are talking about? Or do you not have cake at all at the wake?

I think its very sad and creepy of bakeries ( they look like the supermarkets) to try to make a quick profit off of someone's death with low quality products. What's even worse is someone out there might buy these true pieces of crap.

Wow - that was just too fast. I can accept that the real die hard fans will probably want to celebrate his life, but how about the "glove", or the image of his feet in those sparkly socks and black loafers up on his toes - something that is instantly recognized as an MJ image. Just not his face, for crying out loud. To me, this is the pregnant belly baby shower cake all over again - gross.

Cake people: I just want to say that I used to bitch that 'some cake site was kicking my ass for Funniest Blog in the contest' but then I came by and now I am like wow, I am honored to be in the same top ten with the effing hilarious cake people. Hats off- hope you win. Will vote for you myself. Take a sec and mosey over to my lamer-ass blog (Pajamas and Coffee... to go with the cake?) post about Michael Jackson if you get a break from being award-winningly hilarious.

(also, must point out that the word verification word below reads 'squatery.' nice.)Also-

Apropos of nothing, traditionally tofu is served at Chinese funerals. In Mandarin, to "chi doufu" (eat tofu) is slang for copping a feel. How do you get from point A to point B? Well, apparently some really tacky people would go to funerals of folks they didn't know, for the free food - an inappropiate behavior aimed at taking something one doesn't really deserve.

Which I guess is actually apropos of something, since these cakes are highly inappropriate funerary food.

People who see a funeral as a representation of death will find anything celebratory such as a cake distasteful. Those who see a funeral as a celebration of ones life and a joyful occasion of going to ones rightful home will see celebratory things like cake as a welcome addition to the day.

Cakes aside, what's with the assumption that MJ was a freak/pedophile? To my knowledge, the latter was never proven. And the fact that he led an eccentric, unusual life doesn't make him the former either. Ick. Such allegations gross me out more than those cakes do. The man is dead. From all the interviews I've seen him in, and reading about his life, I can't believe why anyone would have anything but sympathy.

Well? Ya know, his fans tried to cope with it, however they could. Granted, the cakes could have been in better taste, so to speak. As a fan for 40 years, though, I spent more time on watching his videos, and celebrating his life, I didn't buy any cakes but, maybe that was a baker trying to cope and mourn with the rest of us. I think it probably wasn't really a good idea to put all the rip and dates on it, I think it would have been more tasteful to simply put a picture of him or the J5 on a cake, and maybe a little decoration or a spray of flowers or something on it, without getting to morbid for people who were simply trying to remember and celebrate his life and music. Just out of curiosity I did a search for Michael Jackson cakes and ran across this one on flicker, take a look: This one really is very well done, and yet conveys a sense of loss without being specific about it, it's a sculptor working out feelings about his passing, the medium simply happens to be cake.This one too, I think is very well done, it isn't clear from her blog, it seems to be that she either had a Michael Jackson themed birthday party after his passing, or she had one for him to commemorate his 50th birthday...http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gv-Y1js8cN4/SmDBxdndIqI/AAAAAAAACBs/rq6S05H2Sd4/s400/Michael+Jackson+Birthday+Cake.jpgThen there's this one, now this one I do consider a wreck....:http://www.dailyfork.com/Michael-Jackson-Cake.jpgHere's a tribute cupcake with a simple glove...:http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://ilovecupcakesisrael.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/michael-jackson-tribute-cupcake1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://ilovecupcakesisrael.wordpress.com/2009/06/&usg=__B4X-phCXzJBGHPWFNlwBvse1pBk=&h=375&w=500&sz=113&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=AX7kX_fG-2nojM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmichael%2Bjackson%2Bcake%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1There are others out there, but this gist of it, wreck or not, is fans trying to cope with his passing, and trying to celebrate his life the best they know how to. So yeah, it could have been a capitalistic ploy, or it could have been a sad baker working in a supermarket for minimum wage, remembering someone who made her day go a little easier all the while she was wondering how to keep a roof over her head on minimum wage. Not for me to say...

Just thought of one more thing I would like to add to my previous comment. When my grandmother died, my sister snagged a piece of the last cake she ever baked from her kitchen and brought it home with her. We ate it together. It wasn't morbid. It was a sacrament.

I see a lot of comments here about the cannibalistic overtones of eating a cake with the image of the deceased as a way of honoring him. Consider that we are looking at this idea through western eyes. In other cultures besides the basic American idea, this is perfectly acceptable as a way of honoring someone by taking in their essence, so to speak. The Gingerbread Man originated in antiquity to honor the cereal God, and in eating the man of bread, you were taking in the God's essence. Some ancient cultures had other ways of honoring someone by taking in their essence, either by ingesting a representation, or in some situations, in more literal ways. Frank Hebert in Dune has the Fremen sharing the water from the body of a deceased as an honor, he didn't just get that idea from nowhere. While Michael Jackson was not a God, it is perfectly understandable to me how many of his fans would have indulged in a cake with his photo as they were celebrating his life with such things as music and dancing, as a way of symbolically taking his essence into themselves, making it a part of themselves...

In fact, baking cake when someone dies have a huge meaning.You can google it if you want, it's kind of a mix of lots of research, but basicly, there's the ancient belief that when someone dies, the soul comes back during meal time with the family or whoever is meanfull.'Cause of it, children should ask for some kind of food - including the cake idea - singing prays for the dead people. That way they would be helping the soul to find the way from purgatory to heaven. Ofc, you can say is just a supersticion, but that's what gives peace for a lot of people around the world, and I've seen some american people doing that too. In fact, the All Soul's Day (All Saint's Day, Hallowmas, all the same thing in fact) means exactly this. So the cake thing is one of the few things that aren't just about commercial interests. Happens that they use it as a way to win money? Yes. But the situation you showed is much more about showing sympathy for Michael's soul, wich I think that is really pure, and blessed. I'm not christian, I just believe that everything is valid to find peace when someone you care about dies. And it's not about celebrating life or dead, but what this someone meant to you while he was here, phisically. Hope it helped you to find the answer for you questions. Otherwise, sorry about that huge text, and you can just wish me a good time on All Soul's day, 'cause it happens to be my birthday, lol.

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A Cake Wreck is any cake that is unintentionally sad, silly, creepy, inappropriate - you name it. A Wreck is not necessarily a poorly-made cake; it's simply one I find funny, for any of a number of reasons. Anyone who has ever smeared frosting on a baked good has made a Wreck at one time or another, so I'm not here to vilify decorators: Cake Wrecks is just about finding the funny in unexpected, sugar-filled places.

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